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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#238401: Apr 11th 2018 at 7:30:29 PM

I feel like a significant chunk of the objection towards undocumented immigrants in the USA is a case of Right for the Wrong Reasons. Like I said before, a lot of it is just racism.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#238402: Apr 11th 2018 at 7:33:28 PM

[up]My thoughts exactly. [tup]

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238403: Apr 11th 2018 at 7:38:46 PM

Anyone have any ideas on actual, meaningful immigration reform you would like to see?

edited 11th Apr '18 7:39:36 PM by megaeliz

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#238404: Apr 11th 2018 at 7:41:02 PM

I'd want legal immigration to be much easier, so people aren't forced to come into the country through illegitimate means. I'd also want a means for all undocumented immigrants in the country to become citizens, but if they a commit serious crime they get immediately deported.

edited 11th Apr '18 7:41:36 PM by Fourthspartan56

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238405: Apr 11th 2018 at 7:53:40 PM

[up] Abolishing Private Prisons would also go a long way, as well.

This response to an ICE Career add made me laugh.

Do you like authority

Do you want an easy peezy badge and a gun?

Have you been turned down everywhere else for a job?

Johnny can’t get up?

Do you have an ego and low self esteem?

Authority complex?

Can you do 5th grade reading?

Mood swings?

@IC Egov Careers has a job for you

edited 11th Apr '18 7:56:35 PM by megaeliz

danime91 Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#238406: Apr 11th 2018 at 7:56:06 PM

[up][up]And considering how some illegal immigrants specifically became such because they feared for their lives to the point that they couldn't wait around forever for the legal option, I'd say take a crack at addressing refugee and asylum granting reform as well.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#238407: Apr 11th 2018 at 7:58:23 PM

Meaningful immgration reform...

Well, for starters, not a fucking wall.

Also, devote more resources to streamlining the immigration process and immigration courts so that legal immigration doesn't make a trip to the DMV seem like a day-spa resort in comparison.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Imca (Veteran)
#238408: Apr 11th 2018 at 8:01:42 PM

I'd want legal immigration to be much easier, so people aren't forced to come into the country through illegitimate means. I'd also want a means for all undocumented immigrants in the country to become citizens, but if they a commit serious crime they get immediately deported.

Sounds like the best way to go about it to me, add in addressing Asylum seekers and your good to go, imgration courts should not be holding life and death hearings as is.

edited 11th Apr '18 8:02:18 PM by Imca

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#238409: Apr 11th 2018 at 8:03:08 PM

[up]Yeah I hadn't thought of Asylum seekers and the like, they should absolutely be admitted.

edited 11th Apr '18 8:03:18 PM by Fourthspartan56

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238410: Apr 11th 2018 at 8:03:16 PM

[up][up][up]Also, not having two year olds represent themselves in said immigration courts would also be a good thing. (Last Week Tonight, and very worth a watch)

Immigration Courts really need serious reform, now that I think about it.


Abolishing Private Prisons would also go a long way.


And since we're throwing ideas out, we should also really be addressing the actually relevant issue of Visa Overstays.

Border crossings by undocumented migrants:

  • 2000: 1.3 million
  • 2006: 1 million
  • 2010: 400000
  • 2017: 300000

Currently we have a net negative immigration rate...more people leave than people who cross.

the wall is a waste. It is just an Ego monument for Trump! [1]

VISA OVERSTAYS ( people flying in and entering the country legally then overstaying their Visa limit) per DHS estimates In FY 2016 are 739,478 Double illegal crossings for the same year.

That is where the GAP is and it is a NATIONAL SECURITY issue. [2]

edited 11th Apr '18 8:43:04 PM by megaeliz

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238411: Apr 11th 2018 at 9:13:22 PM

#NotTheOnion

Millcreek School District Arms Teachers with Baseball Bats

Millcreek School District Arms Teachers with Baseball Bats In the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the Millcreek School District is arming its 500 teachers with baseball bats.

"It is the last resort,” said Millcreek School District Superintendent William Hall. “But, it is an option and something we want people to be aware of."

According to Hall, the 16-inch bats were distributed to each teacher, following an in-service training day on how to respond to school shootings.

"We passed them out, with the goal being we wanted every room to have one of these,” said Hall. “Unfortunately, we're in a day and age where one might need to use them to protect ourselves and our kids."

Hall says the bats are primarily "symbolic", but they are now an option for teachers to use, should they need to fight back in a school shooting.

Hall says it cost the district about $1,800 to purchase the bats.

That's not even two feet long!

edited 11th Apr '18 9:21:06 PM by megaeliz

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#238412: Apr 11th 2018 at 9:22:58 PM

16 inches?

I've eaten bigger sandwiches.

Disgusted, but not surprised
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#238413: Apr 11th 2018 at 9:25:05 PM

I mean, the point seems to be "Arming teachers is pointless, but if you want something don't expect a gun."

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238414: Apr 11th 2018 at 9:26:15 PM

[up][up] As they say, Pensylvania is Philly on one one side, Pittsburgh on the other, and Kentucky everywhere else.

edited 11th Apr '18 9:29:26 PM by megaeliz

TheRoguePenguin Since: Jul, 2009
#238415: Apr 11th 2018 at 9:27:02 PM

I'd say "better than a bucket of rocks", but rocks honestly sound more useful than a souvenir bat you'd buy at a ball game.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238416: Apr 11th 2018 at 9:28:36 PM

[up] Oh, there's more, just you wait.

Hall says it's just one of several initiatives in the works to ensure student safety, including a concrete barrier around the high school walkway, and additional security measures at each entrance.

The district also conducted an on-line survey to see if the public supports the idea of arming select staff members with guns, if it becomes legal in Pennsylvania.

“We though just putting that one question out there would give us an idea how the community felt,” said Hall. “It was about 70 percent to 30 percent that people would favor that, but we’re not really actively planning that right now.”

Hall says it cost the district about $1,800 to purchase the bats.

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#238417: Apr 11th 2018 at 9:36:06 PM

[up] Prefab concrete barriers and checkpoints? [1]

Well, I guess if they're attacked by the Taliban they'll be ready at least.

They should have sent a poet.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#238418: Apr 11th 2018 at 9:41:48 PM

[up][up][up][up] As someone who was born in PA...yeah, that's pretty accurate.

Disgusted, but not surprised
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238419: Apr 11th 2018 at 10:17:36 PM

So this is a thing.

Mueller Seeks Subpoenas for 35 Witnesses for Manafort Trial

This is literally all we know about it right now, but woah!

MrAHR Ahr river from ಠ_ಠ Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: A cockroach, nothing can kill it.
Ahr river
#238420: Apr 11th 2018 at 10:19:27 PM

It looks like 2018 is going to be eventful and not stop.

Read my stories!
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#238421: Apr 11th 2018 at 10:50:25 PM

~Rationalinsanity (post #238238):

...Wonder what the DEFCON level is right now?
According this site (assuming that it's legit), DEFCON 4 as of April 10, 2018.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#238422: Apr 11th 2018 at 10:53:48 PM

[up]

According this site (assuming that it's legit), DEFCON 4 as of April 10, 2018.

No, it's not legit. From the site:

No. We are not affiliated with any government agency and DWS does not represent the alert status of any military branch. Military DEFCON levels are secret. We don’t know them and wouldn’t report them even if we did as that would compromise US security.

edited 11th Apr '18 10:54:23 PM by kkhohoho

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238423: Apr 12th 2018 at 5:23:45 AM

Oh my...

If I wanted to fire Robert Mueller in December, as reported by the Failing New York Times, I would have fired him. Just more Fake News from a biased newspaper!

Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our “Thank you America?”

The last one sort of feels like he got chewed out by someone.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238424: Apr 12th 2018 at 5:44:05 AM

Why Trump Is Panicking. [1]

The raids on his attorney’s files are extremely dangerous for the president.

“Attorney-client privilege is dead,” according to President Donald Trump, who unleashed an angry Twitter tirade this week in response to search warrants executed at the office, home and hotel room of his personal attorney, Michael Cohen. The president is also reportedly considering firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to rein in special counsel Robert Mueller.

Trump is right to be concerned about the search of Cohen’s office, but not because it was improper or a violation of attorney-client privilege. In fact, there are established Justice Department procedures regarding searches of attorney offices. What should concern Trump is that the search of Cohen’s office presumably met the rigorous requirements of those procedures and ultimately resulted in the seizure of communications between Trump and Cohen, according to the Washington Post.

As a starting point, the search of Cohen’s office suggests that he is in very serious legal jeopardy. A federal judge would not have issued the search warrant unless the judge concluded that there was good reason to believe that a crime was committed and that evidence of that crime existed in Cohen’s office. That’s bad news for Cohen, who is reportedly under investigation for bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations.

What’s even worse news for Cohen is that federal prosecutors rarely use search warrants in order to obtain documents in white collar investigations. Typically, they use subpoenas that force the defense to review documents and provide only relevant, nonprivileged documents to the government that are organized and formatted so the government can easily access them. (In fact, procedures require prosecutors to “take the least intrusive approach” by considering subpoenas instead of warrants.) If prosecutors resorted to a search warrant in this case, it means they had reason to believe Cohen would not have turned over the appropriate documents via subpoena. In other words, it suggests they have evidence that he tried to obstruct their investigation or mislead investigators.

So instead, federal prosecutors in Manhattan followed Justice Department procedures to obtain a search warrant of Cohen’s office, home and hotel room. To do this, prosecutors would have had to obtain approval from the United States attorney in Manhattan and consult with the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Rules also obligate prosecutors to establish procedures, such as a “taint team,” to ensure that privileged materials that have been seized aren’t reviewed by investigators.

The Justice Department guidelines also mandate that the search warrant be “drawn as specifically as possible.” This is important because every search warrant lists the “items to be seized.” In the application for the search warrant, the prosecution must establish that there is good reason to believe that those items are evidence of a crime and that those items will be found at the location to be searched. For example, if the prosecutors are investigating a particular bank loan obtained by Cohen, they might have sought to seize documents relating to that loan.

With this in mind, reports that the FBI seized communications between Trump and Cohen should be alarming to Trump because this means that the communications between Trump and Cohen fell within one of the categories of “items to be seized.” To use the prior example, if the FBI sought to obtain documents relating to a bank loan obtained by Cohen, the seized communications between Trump and Cohen were related to the loan that is under investigation.

That is a significant problem for the president—he was communicating with a man under criminal investigation about matters that are under criminal investigation. While some of those communications could be privileged, the “taint team” of attorneys that are walled off from the investigators will determine whether each communication is privileged. Communications that are unrelated to legal advice or are in furtherance of an ongoing crime, are not privileged. Because Cohen’s relationship with Trump is much broader than a typical attorney-client relationship, they may have discussed business matters that are unrelated to legal advice.

Today’s news that the search warrant reportedly sought communications between Trump and others (including Cohen) regarding the suppression of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape raises the stakes even higher for the president. This means that a federal judge reviewed evidence and concluded that there is good reason to believe that those communications would constitute evidence of a federal crime. That means that Trump’s communications were within the scope of the federal criminal investigation even before the FBI conducted their searches.

It’s never good news for a person under investigation when their lawyer’s office is raided by the FBI. Given Cohen’s loyalty, and Trump’s ability to pardon Cohen for federal offenses, Trump is likely unconcerned that Cohen will “flip” on him. Yet Trump was reportedly in “meltdown” mode yesterday, considering whether to fire Attorney General Sessions, Rosenstein and Mueller. He’s wrong to believe that Mueller has acted improperly, but he’s right to be gravely concerned about his communications with Cohen, which are now in the hands of the FBI. Cohen is in serious legal jeopardy, and his communications could lead Mueller to Trump.

edited 12th Apr '18 6:01:18 AM by megaeliz

Lightysnake Since: May, 2010
#238425: Apr 12th 2018 at 6:25:26 AM

Trump's red line has always been anyone looking into his business dealings and I'm betting Cohen has plenty of info that got seized relating to that because Cohen is his mob-lawyer enforcer. He's probably ground zero for a ton of shady and potentially criminal stuff that Trump has been up to.

I'd wager Trump is more pissed then ever because he thought that stuff was "off limits" and he's now terrified about what they might know and angry that they are coming after him. He's let slip before he truly believes the DOJ are 'his' to cover for him


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